TV Highlight AND VIDEO: Comedian on a mission

Stuart Chandler

Romesh Ranganathan is a comedian and TV presenter whose idea of a nice trip away is two weeks in the Algarve.

In this new three-part series for BBC Two he’s travelling way beyond his comfort zone and the world of complimentary breakfast buffets, to some of the most beautiful, but dangerous places on earth. Hosted by locals and fully immersed in the local culture, he gets an eye-opening, and at times heart-stopping, insider’s guide to countries that are big on natural beauty, character and charm.

In this first episode, Romesh gets an insider’s guide to Haiti to find out if his preconceptions about the Caribbean island are right, or if there is more to the country than the “sensational headlines” he’s seen on the news.

Everything Romesh has ever heard about Haiti has been negative. They had dictator who terrorised the island, a 2010 earthquake that crippled the country and then a devastating hurricane. That’s all before President Trump called it something unmentionable.

But are all the bad news reports fair? Does Haiti deserve its reputation? Haiti is in the middle of the Caribbean, surrounded by Cuba and Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. It should be paradise - why doesn’t anyone go there?

To find out, Romesh Ranganathan, comedian and coward, is travelling across the Atlantic to spend a week in the country.